food for thought-thanks cap

Holy crap! SECOND!!!

I buy my lunch every day and I'm bored with it. There about about 50 million restaurants within spitting distance of my office and I don't want anything they serve. Problem is, I want a bologna sandwich with French's mustard and fresh lettuce. A bought salad has less calories ...

I was wondering what was happening with your dress-making. Are you going to finish them eventually? I agree with you about the ipod, it is an essential, although I mostly only listen to knitting podcast, not much music. Also, I looked at my Visa statement online today, and the balance is $0! I'm so excited. It does feel good to have it paid off. Now if I can just keep it that way!

Am so impressed at your commitment to your mid-year resolution (those little moments aren't real slips, y'know!). And what is one person's non-essential is someone else's 'must have OR I will take on the entire L.A. mass transport network AND WIN!!'

I downloaded and saved your excel spreadsheet. I hope you don't mind.

I recently won a year's worth of groceries at one of my local grocery stores but I am finding that I have less money in the bank!? I have decided to follow your example and work out a budget that involves no extra spending. I thought I would end up with $5200 at the end of the year for travelling or perhaps a retirement fund...alas it hasn't worked out that way. But I still have 8 months to save for a vacation.

My incentive is that the first digit in my age will be changing quite soon and I want to do something special just for me that doesn't involve children. I was thinking Venice or San Francisco.....who knows what the future will hold. *smile

Thanks for being one of my favorite bloggers...on those icky days when things feel all wrong just reading your blog feels like I have spoken to a good friend. (c:

I hear you on the iPod - mine was a gift that I thought wasn't essential. Then in June I made a commitment to work out in some for (at least stretch) every day. I use my iPod when doing cardio. One very sad day it broke and I thought I could get by without it. A few very bitchy workouts later I realized I was WRONG. Got a new one and workouts are happy again!

If you commute on public transit or fly at all, an iPod is absolutely essential to your sanity. It's not a discretionary expense.

And bravo on the cooking. You might try lasagna, too. It's easier than you might think, and you can put all sorts of seasonal produce in it. (I have an easy recipe for butternut squash and spinach lasagna here:
http://kittbo.blogspot.com/2008/03/easy-lasagna-with-butternut-squash-and.html )

One big pan makes two weeks' worth of meals, and you can freeze the portions individually. Tastes great and makes the co-workers jealous!

Thanks so much for the update. You are definitely helping to keep me on track.

And just in case you think the little things don't matter: Last week, the day before payday I was broke and my co-worker wanted to go to the donut shop. So of course I wanted to go to the donut shop. No money. She cashed a $5 check for me and held it until the day our automatic deposits go into the bank. But MY bank, sonsabitches that they are, decided to fine me an overdraft for that $5 check since it showed up the same day as the deposit. So my donut cost me $67.17. Yeah. No more donuts for me. And I'll be changing banks.

Very good! Library fines I count as charitable donations just to make myself feel better about all the late fees.

@ trixie - I had something similar happen to me once which meant I paid $38 for a muffin from Target. yikes.

Time and cash! And cats, and yarn (that's an essential too, right?)! More homemade lunches -- kale, even! -- and less getting your brains scrambled at the mall or getting ready to go to that wedding (who is she anyway?).

Sounds like Dr. Laurie fixed her fiscal on her own. (And please don't beat yourself up: everyone has her idea of what's essential, and we don't judge.)

Happy hump day!

kudos for your willpower. i didn't make a "commitment" not to spend..but it feels that way. i quit my job in june and i do odd jobs and get some cash here and there, and it's not $$$ to burn. i put gas, kids need something. sorry to hear about your ipod...i hang on to mine like i gave birth to it. i don't commute..but it's a gym neccessity and housework aid. my husband is a MTA driver.... his route right now is on figueroa i believe....
have a great week

Bravo, sweetie! You are a never-ending inspiration to me.

I resolved to not spend this summer. June, great. July, a little slip at the end of the month for yarn but it is for a Xmas present so not too bad. August. 1st week, fine. Then, kablammy! Spending commenced on an epic scale. Something about back-to-school time gets my acquistive gene working [now, I'm not in school and have no children so I'm thinking it's a Pavlovian thing left over from my low-income childhood when Autumn meant I got to buy the school supplies I craved -- new pencils! new notebooks!] And I'm traveling to Chicago soon -- must buy shoes, clothes. . . The worst though, I signed up for a sock yarn club [I've yet to finish a sock made with sockweight yarn for my size 10 feet] for a startling amount of money [the price was listed in Euros and I guess I am in denial about the weak dollar].

Intervention time. Wait, I have my brother's WEDDING to attend in Georgia in November. Lordy, lordy.

You are an inspiration for sure! When I read your "Im done wasting money" deal, I deceided to try as well but have found that I have no self control ;-)
Inquiring minds need to know --- How do you not buy yarn??

Mmmmm! Homemade soup and a few extra dollars in the pocket. Good job! Where's the soup recipe from? I want to try it.

My library has magazines you can check out too. Thus saving me from deforesting the rain forest.

For lunch I often buy some of those Lean Cuisine meals toss one of those in a bag with some fruit and we've got lunch.

FOUR HOURS in public transit a day? Oh, Laurie....That cannot be done without an iPod.

Okay... you are adorable. And, the fact that you are an independent woman... living, working, being creative, YOU should be the VP nomination.

(Not that you are a Republican, or if you are that is fine too, I am just saying.)

And, Also... way too much money spent on cats. They, unlike dogs are able to live and enjoy life Outside.

So, I say, eat more, shop more, drink more wine, and go to Nordstrom.. and set your cats free on a nice beach, or someone else's backyard. They will get fed, and cared for, and you can still see them when they come to your door crying, BUT DO NOT LET THEM IN. :) Okay, kidding.. but I am just saying. And, lastly, thank you for being so honest. Your blog makes me smile, and feel like there are really good, honest, hard-working, people out there, just trying to always do better.

Keep up the good work. (And, I was really kidding about the kitty thing, -sort of.)

You're doing better than I on the non-essential spending. I make myself feel that the yarn money being spent on knitting raffles affiliated with charities isn't that bad, but in my heart I know I'm wrong. But I haven't gone to the yarn store, or B&N or purchased yarn and/or books on-line in two months, so that's an improvement :)

Thanks for the progress report. You keep on!

You ARE in inspiration! No shopping... brown bagging lunch... and more cooking! I can't wait to find out what's next for you. You are a pillar of strength.

I nominated you for a blog award! The rules state that I notify you by putting a comment in your most recent post. See here (http://crisitunity.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/awards-and-such/) for my post about who all I nominated. This is not spam.

I also cracked and bought a new iPod when mine stopped working. Best decision ever.

I tried the sewing thing this summer and after $xx in fabric, two days of frustration and 2 evenings of hand sewing, I don't like either dress I made. Perhaps you SAVED money buying those dresses.

I love weddings so if you like, I will attend those you are DONE with. I will pretend to be you. My daddy was from South Carolina so I can even do a convincing southern accent.

Everything is better with hot sauce!

I, too, am of the ipod-is-a-necessity persuasion. It's all about the travel and the workouts. Unfortunately, I can't read in a moving vehicle as I get instant migraine for some reason, so I need something to keep me out of trouble and entertained. And frankly, I only have audiobooks on mine. Also, ipods magically make exercise time go a lot faster.

Another way to lower spending, besides not spending is to look for ways to spend less on the things you buy.

Books, for example. They are my biggest spending dilemma. There is something not wasteful in the buying and devouring of books. I love them more than chocolate, and they keep me from overeating anyway because I get so into the text that I'm not mindlessly going to the fridge because I'm bored. Some solutions:
- opt for the library or a used or remainders bookstore (I got a complete set of the Jane Austen novels and minor works for about $30, whereas at a regular bookstore, the same set would have cost well over $100)
- gather some friends for a bookswap periodically; you get new things to read without paying for them, and anything left over can be donated (this method also works for clothes and yarn)
- downloaded audiobooks: they only take up electronic space, and there are sites that offer free downloads for books in the public domain (librivox, for example); sites like audible offer substantial discounts and credits on audiobooks with monthly membership, and the narrator quality of most of books is more professional (you can also listen to free excerpts before you buy).
-join freecycle: you can give and get things (and not just books, virtually anything you can think of) without spending anything

Also I've learned to give myself a small allowance of fun money every month. It's a paltry sum, but I don't feel guilty about spending it because that's what it was earmarked for anyway. It's like dieting - deprivation doesn't work, you'll just eat twice as much and then some when you finally break down. Moderation, however, both in spending and in eating, tends to be far more successful.

Not like you need anyone's approval, but sounds like a great plan to me! I miss you! xo

Laurie, I think you are right on track, as always.

Something to consider: for the financial- and time-challenged, a crock-pot and a freezer are great investments*. You can make up a big pot of food on the weekend, and freeze it in little baggie-bricks. Those bricks are healthier (you know what's in them) and WAY cheaper than supermarket or restaurant meals.

*I feel the same about my breadmaker - especially as I like those yummy, nutty artisan breads ($4 and up at the grocery store here).

I think appliances like those pay for themselves, as my mom used to say about her sewing machine.

You, go girl! congratulations.
I only go to the mall because that is where See's Candy is. An occasional necessity.

Good job! I have fallen a little bit off the shopping wagon but am jumping back on RIGHT NOW.
I would also count my ipod as a need. It does help me to deal with humanity.

Laurie, as a fellow commuter who also spends close to four hours a day on mass transportation, I fully support your ipod purchase. If you didn't replace it when you did, you'd probably have been spending more than that on bail money. I'm trying to figure out how to put "white noise" on my ipod now so I can read while still blocking out the noise... Big points to you for waiting as long as you did!

Wow! First I read the last part of your post and thought you talked about stewing people - not that I haven't dreamed of that while on I-95 at rush hour...

More seriously, very inspirational! I struggle with spending more time living and less time shopping.

I paid off all of my debt by cutting back on spending and taking lunch to work and not buying coffee except for I allowed myself one day a week to treat myself if I wanted, and eating out only once every two weeks.

BRAVO, Laurie!! BRAVO!!

thanks for the update. I think you are doing a great job - trying to fight those spending impulses is hard!

I say life is way too short and fraught with misery to deny yourself the things that make you happy. I cut back where I can and when I can't, I dither and rationalize and come up with some sort of practical decision I can live with and just move forward. I like good wine, stylish clothes, the very best yarn and I don't think twice when I want books--BUT I get 95% of them from used book sales. I sell on eBay to pay for my little extravagances and I just paid off my credit card debt. I've always brought my lunch to work and I make dinner pretty much every night; fast food is just not an option. It helps to avoid "mindless" shopping and also to not consider shopping a hobby; I stay out of Macy's and Nordstrom as much as possible once I get what I consider to be necessary in the spring and fall, and it really helps curb the mindless acquisition of stuff I don't need--I'd much rather be home reading or doing crafty stuff, time spent on knitting or quilting is indeed therapeutic to me.

Your antiobiotics comment made me laugh out loud! I have done some of the same this year -- have been taking my lunch to work most days and have cut out frivolous spending. However, books are my addiction. Fiction and knitting books. I frequent the Half-Price Book Store and use my Michael's coupon for 40% off whenever I can.

I do sincerely hope the other lady WAS kidding about the cats. There is no such thing as an OUTDOOR CAT !!!!! Sorry I was being rude, but I just get crazy when I think about all of the mistreated kitties in the world. INDOORS is the only safe place for cats to be if you truly love them. Spay and Neuter is a given. OK, I will get off my soapbox now.
To us kitty-cat related expenses are necessary for mental health. Kitties help keep us sane. They always listen to us, never judge, and give us unconditional love.
We have cut back too, but not as much as I would like.
If you ride mass transit, something to block out "stuff" is essential.
Bringing your lunch is a healthy and less expensive way to go.
Life is a journey, as long as we are making progress by our own standards, we are doing OK.

The budgeting is such a good habit. I used to be a lot better about it when I was temping, because I just didn't know if I was going to have enough money next month if I spent what I had earned right away.

Now I mostly budget for special purchases or trips. And holiday presents.

My best cost savings has been doing a menu plan for 1 or 2 weeks. Sit down and write out a menu, then make a shopping list for what you don't have in the pantry. Try to use some of the same ingredients in several meals. I don't waste food and have dinner/lunch planned. Also, no last minute trips to the grocery store.

When you're planning, figure servings so you can take some for lunch for a day or two. I'm amazed at how much less I spend and less food has gone to waste.

Your blog is such fun to read! Love reading your great ideas, tips, etc.

On the lunch thing, just a suggestion based on my making school lunches for various ages of sometimes picky kids -- and me! -- over the years. And, I hate wasting food. So, a small investment in sandwich bags and "glad" (or other plastic) containers can make lunching so easy! I freeze sandwich portions of lunchmeat, and even cheese, and 2 slices of bread in separate bags, then throw them in with packs of condiments to make your own sandwich quickly at lunchtime.

For salads, make your own "salad bar" over the weekend by placing the washed, sliced, etc., vegies and/or fruits in separate containers. In the a.m. just get out your chosen size of container and throw in what you want for that day's salad. Separate small containers for dressing (or those individual "dip" size you can buy) keep salad from being soggy. Make a "chef" salad by throwing in one of your packs of sandwich meat and a hard-boiled egg!

And, I keep those Starkist tuna salad packs in my desk for "emergencies." (Like when everybody got a lunch made except me!)

Congratulations on keeping to your resolution! I'm impressed. And good luck on the lunch front. I've tried that so many times but failed somehow. Maybe you'll inspire me to give it another go :-)

In the event you want or need permission, Laurie, I gift myself from you (!) the September issue of Vogue magazine*, on account of everyone loves to read a little science fiction every now and then, plus it's a heckuva lot of magazine for your magazine money. It's a year's worth of fashion in one magazine, to look at, laugh at, and ignore! Plus, it'll kill any bug DEAD if you hit them with it! Probably any burglars you hit with it, too.

*Of course, this means you have to read it and keep it, too.

I find that that one issue gives me enough of an idea as to what The World is theoretically going to wear in the upcoming year, and it's big enough to take care of my Glossy Fashion Magazine hunger for the year.

I admire you so much! I recently retired so I need to be on a spending diet but, so far, not so good. You have inspired me to start again. Lord knows, I have enough yarn and fabric to open my own shop and I don't need to buy anymore; but some crazy little part of my brain thinks that if I don't buy new stuff, the stores will go out of business. What is really sad is the amount of money I have spent on storage for my stash! Best wishes and thanks for writing your blog. It's my favorite daily picker-upper!
blogless Mary Lou

I always feel so inspired when I read about how great you are doing with your resolutions to Not Buy Stuff. Way to go, you!

Now, don't feel bad about your library fines. I have fines pretty much every time I go. Not only am *I* a librarian, my grandmother and uncle were too. My mom says it's terrible of me. I consider it my civic duty ~ supporting my local library any way I can!

I love that you have yarn AND wine in the same entry on your budget spread sheet.

I accomplished my 5 1/2 year goal of getting debt free this year! (Woot!) Now, I "should" be setting that money aside in savings.....have I done that yet? Not yet, but....that is my next goal.

Bravo to your accomplishments! :)

I love that you have yarn AND wine in the same entry on your budget spread sheet.

I accomplished my 5 1/2 year goal of getting debt free this year! (Woot!) Now, I "should" be setting that money aside in savings.....have I done that yet? Not yet, but....that is my next goal.

Bravo to your accomplishments! :)

Emergency lunches -- Cup O Noodles! Easy to prepare (if you have a coffe maker that dispenses hot water), can live in your office just about forever, cheap! Throw an apple in your purse on your way out the door and you're good to go.

In Scotland, they have something called the "procurator fiscal". He's a legal official; but definitely sounds like something you'd need antibiotics for...

I think an iPod is an essential for all the reasons you detail. Just this evening, on the train after a very nice knit-night in London, the man in the seat in front pulled out his phone and proceeded to have the most nauseatingly lovey-dovey conversation... I could see headphones being thrust into ears all round me as I reached for my own... Seriously. We really don't want to know what you're going to do with Snookums tonight; or the details of your mother's gynae operation; or the small-print on your credit card agreement... These are details which, in the Age Before Mobile Phones, you didn't share with your fellow passengers...

Yes; I'm British. But I don't think it's just a Brit thing...

Thank you to you, Laurie, and to all the commenters who are helping us all create an environment where women aren't identified by shopping and it is OK to pack your lunch - better than OK, it is what the cool kids are doing!

I took a hint from you and have also been trying to not buy anything for the rest of the year, and have brought my boyfriend into the game. I would say it's been fairly successful except we have a cat thinking outside the litterbox, so we bought a steam cleaner and a new covered tray for them to do business in.

I have also purchased 1 new skein of yarn, but after 3 months of not buying any I am trying to not feel guilty about it (I am also knitting it up first thing into a scarf for the winter).

It's been fun! I may stretch this out to next year.

for reasons of past life transgressions, I am in the midst of renovating my blind, packrat mother-in-law's house so that we may move in and care for her. I have made so many trips to salvation army I've lost count. Now I look at stuff I want to buy and I see it as a future trip to salvation army. Instead of retail therapy, I find myself needing Open Space therapy.

red bean stew every day this week??? Are you sure you are not really Pooty McPooterton, Mayor of Pootyville?
On another note, congrats on your non-buying spree. I buy things sometimes, leave them in the car for a few days, then return them. If I can live without it for a few days, I can live without it. period.
I cannot live without my iPod and my FREE podcasts of NPR shows. It is cheaper than attorney's fees, so for you, it was a cost saving measure to buy one.

I feel like Target has something artificially added to the air to weaken your will and make you dependant on stuff. Everytime I go in there it's a battle of wills.

fifty percent of my recycle box is bed bath & beyond sale certificates! Another evil place to spend money you don't need to spend!

It's so hard being good financially. I totally agree about the ipod being an essential...sometimes you just need to unplug from the rest of the world >^.^<

I saw on this show once a good tip about saving money - never ever spend your coins. It's really simple but it works. Most people are likely to think twice before spending when they have to break notes. With coins though - they are seen as less valuable. Don't spend them and you'll see how fast they'll add up!

"When things feel crazy and out of control and unstable, it always feels good to establish a zone of control and for me it's easiest in the arena of finances."

This always works for me, too. Also - and related - when I feel uneasy about how much I've been spending even on necessities, I start "eating from the larder" which in my case means discovering what the heck is at the back of the shelves in my kitchen cabinets. Sometimes it is amazingly good and a big surprise. Sometimes there is chocolate involvement!

You are an inspiration! To think that you can actually live on a budget and still have some humor left is brilliant. Way to go!

Great idea. I'm going to try that too!

I'm so glad you wrote this. Just this morning I was thinking about your budget. You (and your friend Alison who once had post about how she and her husband cut out things like Starbucks) inspired me to cut down some spending but I'm finding it difficult. I do the brown bag thing and save here and there but I never know whether I should allow myself a cup of coffee or a chocolate or some kind of treat that isn't on the budget. Anyway, I feel better just reading that other people are trying to budget too. Thanks as always.

IPods are totally essentials if you live in a city and take public transit. That's a point that took YEARS of conversation with my parents, btw. They kept going, why do you need an iPod? Just listen to the radio! And I kept going, well, yeah, if the radio was ON METRO AND THE SIDEWALKS OF DC!!

I love my iPod. Seriously, I think that personal electronics are the only reason that there are not more mass transit related breakdowns. For real.

With coins though - they are seen as less valuable. Don't spend them and you'll see how fast they'll add up!

Jess, you are so right! I saved my coins every day, carefully sorted in jars. I did this for YEARS, and a good thing, too, since my scumbag landlord sold the building in which I rented my apartment without telling me. I had seven years' worth of change in huge jars - close to a thousand dollars' worth, which was ticketed to help my move.

Too bad the jars were stolen by the workmen who went through the apartment when I was out at work. They left the jar of pennies behind, though; guess they weren't worth the effort.

I'm def with you on the ipod thing, mine is def essential, it helps me get to sleep at night and I wouldn't dream of travelling without it!!

You are really inspiring me on the economical front, I have done the wardrobe clearing and now I'm going to stick to hand made and re-fashioned clothes for a while. I'm not working at the mo so I might be able to do some hand made gifts as well. Only diff I have is I'm a bit of a shoe addict and that is hard to control, maybe leaving the plastic at home is the trick!!

Yay for you! Congrats on doing so well. And it seems like you're actually feeling good about the changes. That's the hardest bit, I think.

I've cut way back on buying a lot of extra items, although I do slip up every once in a while. My key is to budget for "splurges" like new clothes, shoes, etc. But I can only spend what is in my budget - no credit cards (cut them up). And, I have to trade out something older that I don't wear to make room for the new item.
:)

Keep up the great work!

I've just started 30 days of no spending on yarn & quilt fabric. I already feel the pressure but I have a large stash of both and need to use them up. Doesn't it seem as if every time you say no, the stores have these fantabulous sales on just the very perfect thing that you have wanted FOREVAH and you are on a 'not buying' spree...argh!

No#2 is like me and the quilt/knit projects I want to do...too many want to's and not enough time to do them AND the day to day take care of the house crap...if the boys would just move out maybe we could downsize and there wouldn't be as much house to take care of...hmmmm wonder if I could put that into a 30 day plan?!?!? :)

OK, so for the lunch thing. Trader Joe's saves my life with some of their pre-packaged meals. I just have to live with the fact that I'm going to consume some meals that I didn't make. I'm OK with that.

And second, dude, the crock pot! Fix it and Forget it meals. I found a lasagna and a beef strogenoff that are very good and all I did was layer the ingredients in the pot. I did not have to chop anything or pre mix anything or cook anything. I just put it in, put the lid on and 6 hours later I was stylin! I'm ALL about the crock pot right now.

I brown-bag it almost every day, as it's the culture around here. By all means do it, but don't beat yourself to death if every couple of months you find yourself saying "I cannot stand to look at one more kidney bean take me out and feed me horrible steakhouse food RIGHT NOW PLEASE" -- it happens to the best of us.

Also, stew? Way to go. Would you like my recipe for spaghetti sauce? It is really yummy and repels vampires.

Won't you please grace us with your nutritional sounding bean stew recipe? Is le crockpot involved?

Good stuff (no pun intended)!!! Actually those are all great exceptions, not that you need anyone to approve/disapprove, but anyway.

Congrats on 4 months of not buying stuff!!!

Thanks to you

I find soup (or stew) the easiest thing to make large batches of for work lunch. Lentil soup in the winter is particularly awesome. Although, tough to think of that now when it's 1000000000 billion degrees!

It's sometimes difficult, but I manage to bring my lunch every day. Saves tons of money and calories. You can do it!

4 hour commute on a bus?? Everyday??? Are you frickin' kidding me???? Time to move out of that hell hole and reclaim your life...What would you do with 20 extra hours per week...

Ah the irony. Trying to not spend. Not buying clothes has been a piece of cake because - wait for it - I HATE TO CLOTHES SHOP.

But I am falling down, down, down on craft supplies. I hope your resolve rubs off on me!

Nobody's perfect; I commend you on your effort and applaud your success.